espionage

noun

es·​pi·​o·​nage ˈe-spē-ə-ˌnäzh  -ˌnäj 

-nij

Canadian also -ˌnazh;

ˌe-spē-ə-ˈnäzh;

i-ˈspē-ə-nij

: the practice of spying or using spies to obtain information about the plans and activities especially of a foreign government or a competing company

industrial espionage

Synonyms of espionage

• spying

Examples of espionage in a Sentence

He was charged with several counts of espionage.

the acts of espionage on behalf of the Confederacy carried on by Belle Boyd and Rose Greenhow

Recent Examples on the Web

What seemed at first like simple transactional espionage is revealed to have a disturbing psychosexual and parasocial dimension. —James Folta, Literary Hub, 5 Feb. 2026

Also currently penning an espionage thriller for Artists Equity, Miles continues to be represented by Jonathan Shikora at Lichter, Grossman, Nichols. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 4 Feb. 2026

His espionage thriller Lioness, which stars Nicole Kidman and Zoe Saldaña as CIA operatives, is in production on its third season. —Uwa Ede-Osifo, Dallas Morning News, 3 Feb. 2026

Ding faces a maximum possible sentence of 10 years in prison for each count of theft of trade secrets and 15 years in prison for each count of economic espionage. —Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

French espionnage, from Middle French, from espionner to spy, from espion spy, from Old Italian spione, from spia, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German spehōn to spy — more at spy

First Known Use

1793, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

espionage

noun

es·​pi·​o·​nage ˈes-pē-ə-ˌnäzh  -näj 

-ˌnij

: the practice of spying : the use of spies

Legal Definition

espionage

noun

es·​pi·​o·​nage ˈes-pē-ə-ˌnäzh, -ˌnäj, -nij 

: the practice of gathering, transmitting, or losing through gross negligence information relating to the defense of the U.S. with the intent that or with reason to believe that the information will be used to the injury of the U.S. or the advantage of a foreign nation